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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · sharp · content · prune · net · pit · racket · spell

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — magic
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — letters
  10. content — happy
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. net — in sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pit — a hole
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com